Death's Shadow 2: The Place I Called Home
by Lady-Sci-Fi
Summary: Sequel to Death's Shadow. Two-and-a-half years after she saved the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion, Tengu must go back to her beginnings to end the threat of the Dominion once and for all. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

Well, here it is… thanks to those who reviewed for Death's Shadow 1. Maybe you'll like this story just as much…

Disclaimer: all recognizable characters from Star Trek or Star Wars are not mine.

Death's Shadow 2: The Place I Called Home

Chapter 1

"Tengu?" my husband said as we prepared for bed. Our second anniversary had been three weeks ago.

I sat down on our bed. "Yes, Julian?"

"How… how do you…?"

I teased, "I thought that proposing marriage was the hardest question for a man to ask."

Julian Bashir smiled and composed himself. "How do you feel about children?"

I was silent for a minute. "You mean having our own?"

My husband nodded encouragingly. I said, "But, I thought that Humans and Skonians weren't compatible."

"I made it possible for a Trill and a Klingon. I could make it possible for us, too."

I looked down at my hands. "I don't know…"

Julian kneeled in front of me and pressed my hands between his. "What don't you know?"

"I don't know if I would be a good mother."

He brought my hands to his lips and kissed them. "You would make a great mother."

"Julian, I wouldn't understand the child. I didn't have a childhood. Five years isn't much experience."

Julian tilted my head up and kissed me. "I just want you to think about it."

I nodded and placed a kiss on his nose.

I was eating dinner with Kira and Ezri. Julian hadn't brought up the subject of having children in the last few days, but we both thought about it.

"Tengu?" Kira's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"I'm just a little… distracted," I answered.

"Distracted enough to not know I'm here?" inquired a voice behind me.

In an instant, I was out of my chair and embracing the man I considered as my father. "Tholme, what brings you here?"

"Federation business. I got out of a meeting with Sisko and Julian a few minutes ago."

"They're sending you on another mission? But, you just got back from Orda Mantus two weeks ago."

"It's not like I have anything better to do at the moment. Kit and Aayla are on Delta Triciatu. T'ra is still on Beta Centauri. Kira, Ezri, if you'll excuse us. Tengu, walk with me."

Kira and Exri nodded our parting. I waited until Tholme and I were outside the restaurant before asking, "When are you leaving?"

"Julian and I are leaving first thing in the morning."

"Julian as well?"

"There are reports of active Dominion prisoner-of-war camps. Starfleet believes that a Jedi and a doctor are needed."

"Dominion activity two-and-a-half years after they were defeated? That is definitely a cause for investigation. Where are you going?"

Tholme didn't answer until we had stopped at a window. "Tengu, Julian and I are going to Skonia."

"Skonia?" I echoed in surprise.

"We want you to come with us."

"I-I don't think I should."

"Why?"

"I'm…I'm afraid of what I might find."

"They've been rebuilding the government and the cities. According to the reports, Skonia is quite stable and doing very well for a planet that had to completely start over two years ago."

I sighed.

"Tengu, I want you to come. If you must, think of it as only another mission," Tholme suggested. I had also become a Jedi in the sense that I went where the Federation thought I was needed. "Besides," he continued. "You won't be alone."

I thought for a moment. "I'll do it," I agreed.

At 0700 hours the morning, Tholme, Julian, Garak, and I were preparing the runabout to go. Garak had talked his way into coming. His reasoning was that there was a good chance of the Dominion holding Cardassian war prisoners.

Tholme and I passed some of the time by playing a strategy game. Garak asked," Does anyone win if two Jedi play?"

"So far, every time Tengu and I have played, it has ended in stalemate," was Tholme's reply.

"Don't mind if I watch and learn," the Cardassian responded.

The several hour long trip to Skonia passed with no incident. As we neared orbit, we were hailed from the planet's surface. Julian answered it.

A strangely familiar young Skonian woman with purple-black hair appeared on the screen. "Identify yourself," she requested.

"Julian Bashir and Tholme, sent by the Federation," Julian explained.

"Our instruments are showing four life-signs on your ship."

I shook my head to indicate to my husband that I didn't want to be identified.

Tholme said, "They are both as interested in our reason for coming as Doctor Bashir and I are."

"I have been told to trust the Federation," replied the woman. "I've also been told that you Federation types love your transporters. Due to the make-up our atmosphere, anything that comes or goes by transporter ends up… in a less than desirable state. I'm sending you the coordinates of this hangar. I'll be there to meet you."

"Thank you," replied Tholme when we received the coordinates.

The woman nodded. "Skonian Space Command out." The transmission was cut.

"That's a good first impression," remarked Garak. "But she seemed to be a bit too trusting."

Julian rolled his eyes. "Garak, if you do anything to violate that trust-"

"You'll shoot me with your hypospray until I'm out cold for weeks."

"Exactly." My husband piloted the runabout into the hangar of Muhano, the capitol city.

As soon as we landed and took our first step on Skonia, the woman we had spoken with approached. Her purple-black hair was cut short, like mine. Her black and blue flightsuit bore Skonia's military insignia on the sleeve. Three white stripes encircled the wrist of her sleeve, indicating her rank. She bowed to us in greeting. Why could I not place her face? I knew I had seen her before.

"Hello, Doctor Bashir and Tholme. Ah, a Cardassian. We rarely get any of your kind here."

"Garak, at your service," our friend replied.

"Be wary of anything he says," Julian warned. "He somehow talked and charmed his way onto our runabout."

"Now, now, Doctor, let's not get off on the wrong foot," Garak objected.

The military woman smiled at their banter before turning her attention to me. "We have Skonians arriving almost every day, coming back home. But, I don't think you're one of those."

I shook my head. "I'm here to help Julian and Tholme. I'm Kantu Bashir."

"I see. Where do you call home?"

"Deep Space Nine."

"The Federation station near the wormhole? Remind me to look it up later."

I bowed my head in response.

"Well, I've been assigned to you four. I'm Lieutenant Jasta. If you'll follow me."

As we walked, my thoughts raced. Jasta. Jasta had been the best of my few friends when I was young. I had considered her and her father, Rolayi, as part of my family. The memory of the day I had made one of the most important decisions of my life surfaced.

_Rolayi, Jasta, and I were standing in a field, surrounded by hundreds of other Skonians. We were all being rounded up by the Vorta and Jem'hadar. Four Vorta were separating those at the front of the crowd into four groups. Each would be taken to a different imprisonment camp._

_I took a deep breath. "Jasta, I have to go now."_

_Rolayi put his large hand on my shoulder. "If you are seen trying to escape, they'll kill you."_

"_I am not meant to go to a camp," I replied._

"_Are you supposed to go where your parents were taken?" asked my friend's father._

_I shook my head. "They're dead. I found out two days ago. The only hopeful future we have depends on me not going to a camp."_

"_Another vision?" asked Jasta._

"_No. it's a feeling I've had since the Dominion made their presence known to us."_

_Rolayi kneeled in front of me. "Tengu, are you certain about this?"_

"_Yes. I must go."_

_Jasta's and her father's eyes glistened with threatening tears. I fought back the threatening water in my eyes. I hugged Rolayi. Then I pressed my forehead against Jasta's and gazed into her eyes._

"_This isn't fair," my best friend commented. "Why are they doing this? What's the point? Why don't they just leave us alone?"_

"_I don't know," I whispered. Skonians didn't say good-bye to each other. I started, "The journey begins."_

"_So go," Jasta and Rolayi finished._

_With one last glance, I ducked through the crowd. _

_The loneliness I had told the Doctor of only two months ago started now._


	2. Chapter 2

Alrighty, the next two chapters have gone through a couple of rewrites, and you'll understand why when you get to those parts…

Chapter 2

"Are you alright?" my husband asked, sliding his arm around my waist.

"It just feels… strange being here again, after all these years," was my answer.

"I felt that way as well," Jasta admitted. "But, we all find our place."

I nodded at Jasta's wisdom.

"How long have you been rebuilding your cities and lives?" asked Garak.

"Since we were liberated from the camps over two years ago."

"You have accomplished so much in that time," the Cardassian commented. "Cardassia is still trying to pull itself back together."

"We do our best," Jasta replied before we boarded a public airbus. She gave Julian and Tholme a datapad each. She said in a low tone, "Everything we know or think we know about this rumoured imprisonment camp on Skonia is on those. We can't make heads or tails of it. There isn't enough out there about it."

"May I see that?" I asked. Julian handed me his datapad. I was almost instantly hit with a vision, but I pretended to read the data for a few minutes. I carefully said, "It seems to me that this camp is in one of the mountain ranges."

"One of the mountain ranges?" echoed our military escort. "How do you know?"

I ignored her question and asked one of my own. "How long have there been rumours of this?"

"Not long at all after the Dominion had us rounded up and sent to camps on other planets."

Garak inquired, "How many civilians know about it?"

"Not many. We hope to keep it that way until we are absolutely certain that it's there." Jasta rose from her seat and pressed an orange button on the back of the seat ahead of her. "This is our stop."

We followed her off the bus and into a nice hotel. "Lieutenant Jasta," she introduced herself to the young man at the desk. "I reserved a small suite."

The young man checked the computer. "Ah yes." He handed Jasta two electronic passkeys. "Room 225."

Our escort bowed her head before leading us through the corridors until we found Room 225. "I can't stay long," Jasta informed us. "I've got a meeting soon. Kantu, I'll be sure to tell them what you said. We have no food replicators available yet. If you get hungry, call the front desk. I recommend the sastan. I'll see you at 0900," she managed to rush out before bowing out the door.

"What an interesting woman," Garak remarked.

"Don't start," Julian warned.

Tholme touched my arm. "You didn't tell Jasta your real name."

"I don't want anyone here who knew me before know that I'm here now," I explained. I could see that Tholme knew it was more than that.

Garak brought us back to business. "You said that the camp is in one of the mountain ranges."

"About a fifth of Skonia is in the mountain ranges. I don't know which one it is."

"But, now we know what we're looking for," said Julian.

We were still reading and re-reading the reports for any evidence of a specific region long after dinner. Garak had gone to bed almost thirty minutes ago. It wasn't long before Julian laid his head down on my lap and drifted into sleep.

Tholme said, as soon as he was certain that my husband was asleep, "You've been troubled since I arrived at DS9."

"Since before that," I corrected.

"Why?"

"Julian asked me how I felt about us having children."

"That's only a natural question. You have been married for over two years."

"I know, but… it's just…" my voice drifted as I ran my hand down Julian's face and neck.

"Tengu, you'll make a great mother."

"How do you know?"

"You consider me as a father. Is a father not supposed to know and understand his daughter?"

I smiled and glanced down at the sleeping doctor. "I didn't have a normal childhood, if you could even call it that. My real parents were always away on long business trips. Then the Dominion came along and took them away."

"That's made you into the strong, independent woman you are today. And, you won't make the same mistake that your real parents did. Is this what you told Julian?"

"I also told him that I would think about it."

"It's been plaguing you since then. And, something about being back here is troubling you, but that is also to be expected. Well, I see that Garak and Julian have called it a night. How about we do the same?" Tholme kissed my forehead before going to his bedroom.

I tried to sleep, but my mind wandered until it settled to thinking about Skonia and Jasta.

I opened the door when I heard its buzzer sound. "We're almost ready," I told Jasta.

She slightly smiled. "Kantu, do you mind if I talk with you alone for awhile?"

I was somewhat taken aback by the request. I glanced to Tholme, who said, "We'll meet you in the reception area."

"Alright," I agreed to Jasta's request.

I followed the lieutenant out of the hotel and walked with her in the streets. We stopped a few minutes later in an alleyway. I asked, "Why all the privacy?"

"Kantu, I could have you arrested and turn this into a formal interrogation. I could hand you over to my superiors, and not even your Starfleet friends could get you out before the end of the month."

I crossed my arms and sat down on an overturned crate. "On what charges could you arrest me? I've only just arrived." I tried to keep my voice as emotionless as possible.

"You apparently do not understand how seriously we take security matters. Kantu, you lied to me, you lied to the military."

"Then why aren't I sitting in a jail cell?"

"I was hoping that we could settle this, and the military wouldn't have to know a thing about it."

"So, what is it that you think I lied to you about?"

"Your identity."

I stood and held my ground. "Who do you think I am?"

"I have no doubt that you are married to Doctor Julian Bashir. But, Kantu isn't your name, is it?"

"What exactly is it that makes you doubt my identity?"

"You instantly knew the camp's general location. You only pretended to read the reports, to fool me. That tells me that you already knew where it was and that you were sent here as a spy."

"I am no spy. I'm not here to deceive you. I'm here with Tholme and Julian to help them to help you."

"Make me believe that. Tell me who you truly are."

I glanced away for a second to avoid her penetrating gaze. I looked back up and was surprised. Jasta shoved me against the stone wall and held me still with her forearm against my neck and her grayish organic claws under my chin. I didn't struggle, but was still recoiling from her touch.

"You don't like to be touched," she observed. "Tell me who you really are. I don't want to have to hurt you."

I closed my eyes as a vision played in my mind.

"_You, come here," the Jem'hadar ordered, pointing to a face in the group of imprisoned Skonians. _

_Jasta, her long purple-black hair covering half her face, made no move to follow the order._

_The Jem'hadar lost patience. He strode to her and lifted the girl in her mid-teen years to her feet, nearly dislocating her shoulder in the process. _

"_Get your hands off my daughter," Rolayi challenged. _

"_If you do not be silent, she will serve as target practice," the Jem'hadar warned. He pulled Jasta along after him._

_Jasta struggled to get free of the guard's iron grip. "Stop, let me go!" she cried. "Where are you taking me? I've done nothing wrong."_

_The Jem'hadar suddenly turned and backhanded her with his armoured hand. Jasta's head snapped to the side as blood flew from her mouth. "Consider yourself fortunate. The Vorta want to study you," the guard growled._

"_St-study me?"_

"_Maybe they'll even experiment on you."_

_Jasta shook her head and tried again to wrench her arm from his grip. The guard kicked her feet from under her, stepped down on her shoulder blade, held her aching arm up, and twisted it. Jasta's gasps of pain were muffled by the dirt her face was in. "Would you like me to snap your arm and use you for target practice?"_

_Jasta's reply was drowned out by her following cry as the Jem'hadar stomped on her shoulder blade._

"_I didn't hear you," he said._

"_No, please don't," she pleaded._

"_That's better," the guard replied before he kicked her ribs and hauled her to her feet. "The Vorta don't like to be kept waiting."_


	3. Chapter 3

I had planned to have chapter 6 up by now… oh well… I hope I didn't make Jasta too mean to Tengu….

Chapter 3

I opened my eyes to find Jasta's purple ones staring into them. She must have seen something in them, for she breathed, "Ah," and released her hold on me. "Come, walk with me, unless you would prefer me to call for a squad car," she commanded.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

The lieutenant ignored my question. She kept her hand on my shoulder and single-mindedly led me into a cemetery. We suddenly stopped in the middle of a row, in front of an upright black stone. Engraved into it was the name Rolayi. "Touch it," Jasta ordered, letting go of me. When I hesitated, Jasta repeated, in an angry plea, "Touch it."

I closed my eyes and reached out to the black stone.

_A Jem'hadar kicked Jasta and the boy with silver-streaked black hair sleeping next to her awake. As soon as the Jem'hadar moved to the next slumbering prisoner, the boy asked, "Jasta, what's going on? They never wake us up this early."_

"_I don't know, Gackti. Where's my father?"_

"_Get up, Skonian scum," a Jem'hadar roared. "We've got something different planned for today." _

_Jasta and Gackti were swept along in the crowd of scared Skonians as they were led to a cavern. Standing on a raised platform, bound to poles, were twenty Skonian adults, including Jasta's father. _

"_Apu!" Jasta cried, breaking through the crowd and jumping onto the platform. She tightly wrapped her arms around her helpless father. The Vorta in charge gestured for the Jem'hadar to let them be. "Apu, what's going on? Why are you up here?"_

_Rolayi kissed his daughter's forehead. "We tried to take control of the Vorta compound."_

"_Why?"_

"_To take back what is ours by right. To take back our freedom, Jasta. We were so close…"_

"_Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_You would have insisted to help. I couldn't have that. I did this for you, Jasta. What happened with you and Gackti is only a small taste of what the Dominion is doing. It should never have happened, and never should again."_

"_But-"_

"_Jasta, this is the last time I will ever see you. Let me see your wonderful smile," Rolayi requested._

_Jasta swallowed her threatening tears and allowed a smile to decorate her features. It disappeared when she asked, "Where are they going to take you?"_

_Rolayi pressed his forehead against his daughter's. "Jasta, I love you." He took a deep breath. "The journey begins."_

_Jasta was suddenly wrenched off the platform and propelled back into the crowd. Gackti helped her to stand up._

_The Vorta addressed, "Skonians, pay attention to what happens to your fellow prisoners as they pay for their crime. Let this serve as a warning to the rest of you. These twenty Skonians are sentenced to an agonizing death." _

"_No, Apu!" Gackti had to use all his strength to keep Jasta from joining her father. _

"_Jasta," he whispered in her ear. "He wouldn't want you to die with him."_

_The Vorta nodded to the twenty Jem'hadar near the platform. Each soldier chose a Skonian and began. _

_Jasta and Gackti were deaf and blind to the other nineteen prisoners being beaten and electrocuted to death. _

_Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime, the Jem'hadar aimed one more electric shock at Rolayi's heart. Rolayi swayed on his hands and knees and glanced over the mass of his people. His nearly lifeless gaze settled on his daughter. His almost unrecognizable face contorted in pain. Purple blood flowed from his mouth and nose. He mouthed, "The journey begins."_

"_So go," Jasta finished._

_Rolayi nodded, and, with his daughter's blessing, crumpled to the platform. Jasta buried her face into Gackti's thin chest and wept._

I crashed to my knees to the soft blue-green grass. I didn't bother to hide my tears. Jasta sat down with her back against the black stone.

She said, "I'm sorry for doing this to you. But, I had this friend when I was a little girl. She was unusual. She had purple eyes and blue-streaked hair, which had never been seen in any Skonian before. She didn't like strangers touching her. She knew things that no one else did. She could see things that no one else could. She could control things with her mind. She was special. She was something that no one ever imagined she could be."

I sat next to Jasta and leaned back against the stone.

"And then, the Dominion decided to put us all in imprisonment camps. My friend told me that she wasn't meant to go with me. Her destiny lay elsewhere. I never 

stopped thinking about her. When I imagine her all grown up, I always see someone who looks just like you." Jasta touched my arm. I looked up to her face. "Tengu, why all this? Why didn't you just tell me who you were?"

I swallowed. My voice trembled. "I-It was… it was hard to agree to come here with Tholme and Julian. It was so hard… I thought that it would be even harder to stay, to be here unless I somehow… I somehow… distanced myself from it all. When you've seen the things I've seen… done the things I've done…"

Silence passed. It was Jasta who broke it. "So, Tengu, what becomes of us now?"

I unconsciously laid my head on her shoulder. She didn't shy away from my touch. "We should let it… should see what happens without forcing anything," was my answer.

Jasta glanced at her chronometer. "I think your friends have started worrying about us by now."

I nodded and followed the lieutenant back to the hotel.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Jasta apologized. "Tengu and I had to sort something out."

"Tengu?" Julian inquired, glancing between Jasta and me.

I nodded. "Jasta and I were friends."

"Come on. We were supposed to be in the briefing room five minutes ago," the lieutenant urged. We caught a public bus to the military headquarters of the city.

"Lieutenant, you're late," a tall, muscular, green-eyed, green-streaked haired man greeted.

"Sorry, sir," Jasta replied. "There was a minor situation that required my attention."

The commander nodded to the four of us. He led us into the briefing room. A holo-globe hovered above the conference table. "Kantu," the commander addressed. "You say that the camp is in the mountains."

"Yes," I confirmed.

"I expect that you have studied the reports as we have. We can't find the name of any specific mountain or mountain range in them. Did you?"

Tholme shook his head. "We know as much as you do, which is apparently not much."

"I suggest that you start doing fly-bys over the nearest range until we discover the name of the one we're looking for," said Julian.

The commander nodded. "I'll start sending out ships immediately. Until we find something definite, keep looking for leads."

"Yes, sir," Jasta saluted before the officer left the room.

"That was brief," Garak remarked.

"Always keeps things short and to the point," Jasta responded.

"I'd hate to see his romantic relationships," the Cardassian commented.

Jasta turned to me and asked, "Are you getting anything?"

I touched the table and the holo-globe. "Nothing," I admitted.

The lieutenant ran a hand through her hair. "We need to find one name, of one mountain range."

"Does that mean you're certain this camp exists?" inquired Garak.

"Tengu verified it for me. The problem is that this is the only lead we've got."


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this one took too long. Getting ready to go to University is hard work.

A/N: So, I discovered this Japanese rock star named Gackt. His music and passion inspired me while writing the last few chapters of Death's Shadow, and this entire installment of the Death's Shadow series. I had this song in mind when I write a scene this chapter: /watch?voVWrEE99Uls . Anyway… on with the story…

Chapter 4

We discussed where to look for more possible leads for about ten minutes. Then there was a knock on the door. Jasta invited the person in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but Commander Iko said you might like some saket," greeted the young man carrying a tray of five steaming mugs. His soft facial features negated the fierce appearance that his red-streaked black hair and red-colored eyes gave him.

Jasta nodded and took an offered mug. The rest of us followed suit. Jasta asked the young man, "Has Commander Iko left already?"

"Yes. If I may speak freely, he is… intimidating in his manner and speed of action."

"Intimidating, he can be," our escort agreed. "But, he only acts fast because he thinks fast. You may go attend to your other duties."

The young man bowed out the door.

Garak took a sip of his saket before he said, "Tengu, I have observed a discrepancy between your appearance and that of other Skonians. Your hair and eye color don't match."

Jasta remarked, "Her parents took her to specialists to find out what was wrong with her and if it could be genetically corrected. So far, Tengu is the only known Skonian with this birth defect."

"If I had remembered, I would have had Julian artificially color my eyes blue," I replied. "I'm surprised that more people haven't recognized me."

"Your parents made you wear blue contacts when you were in public," Jasta reminded. "Not many people knew about your defect."

Tholme cleared his throat. "If we're done talking about Tengu…" he prompted.

We discussed options for a few more minutes before going out and searching for another lead.

We tried every idea we had, and came up with nothing usable. Commander Iko had contacted us to say that there was nothing in the Hirohu mountain range.

It was nearly night when Jasta's communicator beeped again.

"Jasta, this is Ayaka," said a feminine voice through the communicator.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Jasta asked.

"One of our friends here has something very important to tell you."

"I'm still on-duty."

"He said it's about your job."

"Alright, we'll be there soon," the lieutenant agreed and put her communicator away. We caught a bus to a huge building near the city outskirts.

"Where are we?" inquired Julian.

"Muhano's entertainment complex. Every major city has one. Ayaka and the man we are going to meet with are singers. They perform every three days," Jasta explained, leading us inside. She was about to open a door when she paused and turned to us. "I almost forgot that three of you don't speak Skonian."

"That hasn't been a problem so far," remarked Julian. "Our translators-"

"Won't work in the performance hall. The man who had this place rebuilt thought it would be a good idea for translators to be disabled, so that one could completely enjoy the music. It has been a fairly popular place for non-Skonians to come to," Jasta said before going through the door.

"Was the novelty of hearing Skonian music the original idea?" Garak quietly pondered as we followed.

We were in a backstage area. It wasn't long before a blonde-black haired woman with yellow eyes approached. She engaged Jasta in a quick embrace and nodded to us. She looked at us and said, "I'm Ayaka. He's got another song to do before he talks with you. Follow me." As we walked, Ayaka glanced back at Garak. She leaned over and said in my ear, "Your friend is Cardassian, yes?" I nodded in reply. She continued, "He is attractive, and seems to be of the fascinating and mysterious type."

"That he is," I agreed.

"Is he… otherwise engaged?" she asked.

I shook my head. "But, you'll have to get used to his elusive nature before he tells you anything about himself."

Ayaka smiled and stopped when we reached the side of the stage. The band onstage had already started the slow and haunting intro to a song. The man in the center holding a microphone had long silver-black hair tied into a ponytail. He glanced over to our side of the stage and pointed. The audience cheered.

Jasta nudged me. "He wants you to join him."

"Why?"

The man opened his hand, reaching out. Jasta nudged me again. I apparently had little choice but to relent. The slow intro picked up speed when I reached the 

center of the stage. The man said into my ear, "Let the music fill you." Then he started singing.

Between the music, lyrics, and mesmerizing voice, it was very easy to melt into the song's emotions. The silver-eyed man didn't just sing to me. He circled around me and acted intimate without actually touching me. And, it was so incredibly simple to react in the non-touching intimacy back. Our impromptu dance was so emotionally powerful and freeing.

I was nearly drowning in the impact of the song when it ended. The man bowed, introduced Ayaka, and gestured for me to follow him to the side stage to rejoin my friends. Julian immediately started to ask me something. I silenced him by placing two fingers on his lips when all I heard was a foreign language.

The performer remarked, "I guess we can't talk here." He ushered us out into a courtyard. He apologized as soon as the universal translators started working again. "I hope that I did not offend you or your husband by bringing you onstage. It iscustomary for me to sing to one audience member during one song."

"No offense taken," Julian and I said.

"Gackti," Jasta introduced. "This is Tholme, Garak, Julian Bashir, and-"

"Tengu," Gackti finished, bowing his head to me. "Jasta used to tell me about you. I know what brings you all here, and of the problem that plagues us all." Gackti didn't say anything more until we were standing beneath an cluster of blue-green leaved trees.

He told us, "I was outside this building when I overheard Human man and an Orion talking. It sounded like a business deal. I was going to keep walking, but I heard the Human say something about working with Jem'hadar and 'Bring them to Hatayi."

"Mount Hatayi, of the Skora range?" inquired Jasta.

"Unless you know of any other place called Hatayi," replied Gackti.

"Did the Human identify what exactly he wanted taken there?" Tholme asked.

Gackti shook his head. "I didn't get to hear the whole conversation.

"He must be asking for supplies of some kind. And maybe Something that Jem'hadar need, like Ketracell White," Julian reasoned. "Which means that there has to be a base of operations."

"Yes, but if this is where this camp is, why would a Human ask for supplies to be taken there?" Garak pondered.

"I find it hard to believe that a Human would help the Dominion re-establish a hold here," Jasta responded. "The Federation was the main force that eradicated them in the first place."

"Nonetheless, the Dominion seems to have acquired a little help," I concluded. "You didn't happen to see what he looked like, Gackti?"

"I'm sorry. I only got close enough to know he was Human man."

"Was there anything distinguishing about the Orion?" asked Julian.

"I would say that he was large, green, and muscular, but that, I am told, is a normal characteristic of Orion men."

"Still, you've been a great help to us," Jasta smiled.

The silver-eyed performer kissed Jasta's hand. "Anything for you and our people," were his parting words.

"Quite the charmer," Garak commented as soon as Gackti was out of earshot.

"That he is," Jasta agreed. "Come on, we've got to report to Commander Iko."

"Congratulations on your engagement to Gackti," I said quietly to the lieutenant.

"How did you- never mind. We're to be married in two months."

After a quick meeting with Iko, our day was done. Jasta would meet up with us the next afternoon. She was one of the pilots chosen to do fly-bys over the Skora mountain range.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

After dinner, I went outside to think. As I had expected, Julian joined me moments later. We started walking in silence. My husband broke it with, "It's been quite a day, hasn't it?"

I nodded. "It has indeed."

"Who is Jasta?"

"She was my best friend."

"Is that why you didn't tell her your real name when we first met her?"

"I thought if anyone knew who I was, it would be much harder for me to stay here and help," I explained.

"But, you forgot that you are the only Skonian with mismatched eyes and hair," Julian stated.

I tapped his shoulder and sat down on a bench. "Jasta and I have decided to not force a relationship past the professional stage."

My husband half-smiled in understanding. He laid his hand on mine and asked, "Your parents? What you and Jasta said about them…"

"My parents did not physically mistreat me, if that's what you mean. But, they did treat me as though I was a burden."

"They'll never know what a gift you were to the rest of us."

I kissed his cheek. "They were a bit worried about my 'birth defect' and wanted to hide it. That is only natural. But, it got harder for them when I started seeing things that weren't there and moving things with my mind. They told me to never reveal my powers in public. Then, they started going to more political conferences than usual, to spend less time with me. I didn't mind. I preferred my independence and solitude."

"Your parents shouldn't have done that to you."

"I was too different, Julian. They didn't mind the physical difference so much. it was once it became more than that."

"I guess it's no different than my parents genetically enhancing me," my husband admitted.

"But your parents did so because they loved you. Mine saw me as a burden, something too different to want to become attached to."

"So, when did Jasta enter the picture?"

"I was three years old. She was four. I was up in a tree, thinking, trying to understand why I was so different. Jasta intruded on my thoughts by climbing up the tree to join me." I smiled. "And that's all I'm going to tell you about our first meeting. She was my only true friend for two years."

"You had someone who didn't want to change you."

"Yes. Jasta was a very accepting girl. She loved the fact that I wasn't at all like the other children." I yawned. "It's been a long day."

"Ready to call it a night?"

"Sure," I answered, kissing Julian.

Tholme, Garak, Julian, and I were summoned to the military headquarters the next afternoon.

"It's not there," was the first thing Jasta said to us when we sat down at the conference table.

"What do you mean?" asked Julian.

"It's not there," Jasta repeated.

Commander Iko elaborated. "We did several fly-over's over the Skora mountain range. There was nothing on visual or sensors. There is no trace of anything or anyone in the entire range."

"Gackti could have gotten the name wrong," said Garak.

I shook my head. "It is there."

"Then, why can't we see it?" inquired Jasta.

"Cloaking device," I suggested.

"The Dominion never had cloaking devices," stated Julian.

"They were working on one even better than ours, the Klingons', and the Romulans'," I said. "They had nearly completed the prototype when we defeated them."

"Iko said, "Searching by foot is out of the question. Skora is the largest and most dangerous mountain range."

"Unless anyone knows a way of seeing through cloaking devices…" prompted Garak.

Everyone fell silent and pondered. Tholme finally asked, "Commander, you wouldn't happen to have anyone who could invent a device to see through cloaks?"

Iko shook his head. Jasta turned to him and asked, "What about Isaku? She may be a bit eccentric-"

"But she could do it," Iko concluded.

"Who is this Isaku?" I inquired.

"An expert on anything that has to do with science," the commander answered.

"Could she really create something like this in a short amount of time?" asked Garak.

"She is our greatest scientific mind and holds several awards and honors. Officially, she retired a month after the Dominion settled on our planet."

"I'm surprised they didn't have her killed."

"I kept her safe from them," Iko replied. "The two of us lived in hiding and occasionally caused trouble for the Dominion. Lieutenant, I would join you, but I must attend to the politics of my position."

"I'll let her know," replied Jasta. She saluted to the senior officer before he took his leave. She told us, "Isaku is one of the very few people Commander Iko shows his affection for."

"I'm certain even I could show affection for Doctor Bashir after spending fifteen years with him," Garak baited. Julian didn't take it.

We took a bus to a public park. On top of a nearby hill stood a small house. Jasta indicated that it was our destination.

The lieutenant asked me, "Do you remember being that age, and playing like they are?" as we tried our best to avoid bumping into the running children.

My answer was, "I do remember being that young, but I was only so bold with you."

Jasta half-smiled and raised her hand to put it on my shoulder. She hesitated and dropped her hand back to her side.

Could things go back the way they had been between Jasta and me? Had too much happened in those seventeen years? How honest would I be with her, when I told her of my experiences? But, did I even want to get close with her again?

Julian nudged me when we reached the open door of the house.

Jasta said, "Isaku always keeps her door open, except during nasty weather conditions."

"She's not afraid of being attacked," Garak stated quietly as we followed the lieutenant inside.

Various awards, files, and gadgets adorned the corridor and living room. We heard someone fumbling around in the kitchen. "I'll be with you in a moment," the person called.

The remnants of the Doctor's mind in me prompted me to call back, "I find that time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so."

A light laugh sounded from the kitchen. "I don't know who you are, but I like you already." Isaku came out and placed a tray on the low table. "Ah, Jasta," she greeted and hugged the lieutenant. "Iko couldn't come?"

"He would have, but had to attend to the politics of his position," Jasta explained.

"No matter. You have brought me some new potential friends," the woman responded. She was an older woman, nearing her sixties. Her long pink-black hair framed her kind face and pink eyes. Jasta introduced us and Isaku smiled. When she took in my appearance, her smile faltered. I got the impression that she had known me before.

The moment passed. Isaku offered us the tray. "Sit. Have a solian."

The five of us sat and took the offered dessert. Once Isaku put the tray back, she asked, "What can I do for you? The military hasn't sent me three off-worlders before."

"Do you mind if we close our door?" Garak asked.

Isaku bowed her head. Jasta went to close the door. Garak reached for another dessert. Isaku slapped his hand and said, "Don't be greedy. The rest are for the children."

"Sorry, madam," the Cardassian apologized.

"So, what do you need my help for?" the scientist inquired as soon as Jasta sat down.

"I'm investigating rumors of a Dominion imprisonment camp here on Skonia," Jasta started. "Now we know it exists and where it should be."

"If you know that, why do you need me?"

"We know where it is, but it doesn't show up on sensors or visual," Julian said.

"The Dominion had been working on a cloaking device before they were defeated," explained Tholme.

"You want me to invent a device that will allow you to see past the cloak?" Isaku concluded. She nodded. "You do realize that this will take time, even for someone as clever as me. Two weeks at least."

"This appears to be the only option available to us," Garak said.

Isaku thought for a moment. "Of course I will help you. The thought of anyone in an imprisonment camp…" She sighed, "I was lucky. I had Iko to protect me and keep me safe. Even at the age of sixteen he had a quick mind." She took another deep breath. "Well, do you expect me to make something that negates the effects of a cloaking device when I don't have a cloaking device to base it from?"

"Sorry. May we use your computer to contact my commander?" Julian politely inquired.

Isaku nodded. Julian, Tholme, Garak, and Jasta followed her into a private room off the kitchen. I stood and glanced around the living room. A medical scanner on a table somehow attracted my attention, so I picked it up.

"_Tengu, do hurry," called my mother._

"_But, I don't want to go. There's nothing wrong with me," protested my three-year-old self._

"_We went through this last night," replied my father. "Your physical defect is one thing. These new… abilities are another issue completely."_

_Defeated, I fell silent and hurried after my parents. My father knocked on the door of the small house. After a moment, a kind-faced woman with pink-straked black hair and pink eyes opened the door. _

"_Ah, you must be Rayla and Bido," she greeted. She crouched down in front of me. "I'm Isaku. You must be Tengu."_

I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I stated, "You were one of the specialists my parents took me to."

"Yes," answered Isaku's voice. "And, regardless of my apparent genius, you were the one project I could not figure out. You posed so many questions, and offered no answers."

I finally turned to face the scientist.

"But, it has been seventeen years since I last saw you. Perhaps you have found your answers by now."

"I have."

Isaku nodded. "Good, good. Tengu, I never agreed with the wy your parents treated you. There wasn't anything wrong you. There was only something different about you."

"Did you tell them that?"

The woman shook her head. "That wasn't my place."

I sighed. "It wouldn't have made a difference anyway."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Isaku softly said, "Tengu, to be honest, you were the most intriguing project."

"Really? Out of everything you've ever done?"

"A living person is different from a device or machine, you know. A bit more interesting. Unfortunately, those opportunities didn't come around very often. You were so different, and I never figured it out."

"Would you like to know?"

Isaku hesitated before nodding.

"I have particles in my blood called midi-chlorians. They are the reason for my telekinetic abilities and visions. My physical… difference is probably a symptom."

"You're the only Skonian with these midi-chlorians."

"I'm the only sentient being born in the known part of the galaxy with them."

"You must feel lonely, in that respect."

I shook my head. "We are called Jedi, Four Jedi came from an unknown part of the galaxy through an unstable wormhole seventeen years ago and were stuck here. Tholme is one of them," I explained.

It took Isaku a moment to digest all this. She opened her mouth to say something when Julian, Tholme, Garak, and Jasta returned.

"Are we interrupting?" the Cardassian inquired.

I shook my head. "I was only helping her finish a project she started years ago."

"Well, Sisko will get us a Federation cloaking device," said Julian.

"How soon until it arrives?" the Skonian scientist asked.

"Three days," answered Tholme.

Isaku nodded. "I can have the basic components together by then."

"Thank you so much for doing this," my husband said.

"No offense, but this is most likely more important to me than it is to you. Your welcome."

We said our good-byes and left, making sure to leave the door open. Jasta escorted us back to the hotel. She said, "It looks like the three of you have some leisure time before the device arrives. You're free to go anywhere. If anything comes up, we'll contact you. If you need anything, let me know."

"We will," Tholme replied with a bow of his head.

Jasta turned and started walking away. She turned back to us a few seconds later. "Garak, you may wan to plan on dining elsewhere tonight."

"What do you mean?" the Cardassian inquired.

The lieutenant grinned and continued walking.

"Doctor Bashir, have I done anything wrong?" Garak asked.

"No, so you shouldn't worry about it," my husband assured.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking, exploring the city of Muhano.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

We had barely been in our hotel room for ten minutes that evening when there was a knock at the door. I opened it and was surprised to see the yellow-black haired, yellow-eyed Ayaka. My surprise quickly faded when I remembered the interest the performer had expressed last night.

"Is Garak here?" Ayaka asked.

"Just a moment," I said before going to get him from his room.

Once the Cardassian was at the door, Ayaka said, "Garak, I hope you can do me the honor of having dinner with me. I find you intriguing, and wish to know you better."

"My dear, how can I say no to your charm and eloquence?" Garak replied with his patented mysterious smile. He turned to us. "I guess I won't be joining you for dinner."

"See you later, Garak," Julian responded. As soon as the Cardassian, he commented, "That was… odd."

"What was odd about it?" asked Tholme. "The fact that someone asked him out to dinner, or the fact that he accepted?"

"Both, I think," was my husband's answer.

During our dinner, Tholme and Julian discussed various topics. I stayed silent, my thoughts wandering. Tholme and Julian noticed my quietness, but didn't say anything about it. I was only halfway through my meal when I felt the need to solitude. I stood and went towards the room Julian and I shared.

"Where are you going?" Julian asked.

"Shower," was my simple answer.

Once in the refresher unit, I turned on the water setting and stripped. A sonic shower was good for saving time, but a water shower was good for relaxing and thinking. I stepped in once the water was warm enough for my liking.

I closed my eyes and let the water run over me. I allowed my mind to sort through everything that had happened on this mission so far.

I had spent awhile in thinking, when I heard a whisper. "Tengu…" beckoned the feminine voice.

I opened my eyes, but couldn't see through the steamy mist the hot water had produced. "Who's there?"

"You… no one else…"

"Show yourself."

"Only you are here…"

"Now."

"Very well, if you need to see an embodiment…"

A black figure formed from the mist. It slowly became defined. I nearly gasped. Dressed in a black flightsuit was me.

"Death's Shadow," I whispered.

"Well, Death's Shadow with feelings," the visage corrected.

"You're dead," I stated. "You died over two years ago."

Death's Shadow shook her head. "You should know better than that. I am always with you. I have always been. I am simply your darker side."

"Why are you here?"

Death's Shadow smiled. "The Force works in mysterious ways. You are troubled."

"I don't need you to tell me that."

"Jasta is troubling you. You have seen her before. But, you can't remember."

"Shut up and go back to whatever hidden corner of my mind in which you live."

"You don't want my help?"

I didn't answer. What help could she possibly offer me?

"You can't remember because you've repressed so many of my memories. Would you like one back?"

I hesitated, then nodded my head. Death's Shadow reached out to touch my face. At the ghostly whisper of her hand, she faded back into the misty steam.

"_Death's Shadow," the Jem'hadar greeted as I stepped out of my ship and pulled up the hood of my black robe. "Welcome to Dronginar Imprisonment Camp."_

"_Where is Vorta Vayan?" I asked._

"_Conducting his experiments. I am to take you to him."_

"_Lead on," I prompted. At fifteen years of age, I was not physically imposing, but my status put me above the Jem'hadar and most of the Vorta._

_We had to walk through the tunnels and caverns full of working Drongans and Skonians. I made sure my face was not easy to see beneath my hood. I still received anxious glances and stares from the prisoners. My escort backhanded a Skonian into the dirt wall for staring too long._

"_Vayan," called my escort when we reached a door. After a moment, the door slid open._

_Vayan greeted me and dismissed the escort. I gave him the items I had been sent to, and he gave me one in return. I had also been told to see his experiments._

"_Right this way," invited Vayan. We went through another door and into the laboratory._

_Two other Vorta scientists were monitoring computer screens. Two steel tables were set up six feet from each other. On the far table, a naked Skonian boy of fourteen was bound. He was unconscious, his long silver-black hair spilled over the table, small tubes inserted in his forearms. His breathing was slow an shallow. A rattling sound accompanied his inhales._

_On the near table was a naked purple-black haired Skonian girl of sixteen, in the same situation as the boy, except she was conscious. The whites of her eyes had turned to a sickly yellow. The skin around her eyes had become a deep violet color. Her breathing was also joined with rattling._

"_Tell me exactly what you are doing her," I told Vayan._

"_You are not disturbed by this?"_

"_I cannot feel disturbed or saddened. It does not matter to me that they are of my species. What are you doing in this experiment?"_

"_We are engineering biological weapons and using these two to test the effects of each one. They are on the third of ten. We observe the effects of the virus for three days, then purge their bodily systems. We allow them one day of rest to let their bodies reset. This is Day Eleven. We will purge their bodies tonight," Vayan explained._

_I nodded my head. "Twenty-nine more days. Do you expect them to live?"_

"_Yes, they should survive."_

"_What are the effects of this virus?"_

"_Bleeding in the lungs, reduced blood flow from the heart, and severe abdominal contractions."_

"_They are in pain?"_

_Vayan nodded. "They were screaming and thrashing earlier. We had to give them a sedative before they damaged themselves. The boy lost consciousness a few minutes ago. There is also an emotional pain involved."_

"_Emotional pain?"_

"_They have become emotionally attached to one another. This probably stems from the fact that we put them together on their off-days. They-"_

_Vayan was interrupted by the girl's sudden violent coughing. Violet blood spurt from her mouth and trickled from her nose. She turned her head to look at us. Her ellowed purple eyes stared into my own._

_The young woman took a deep rattling breath. "P-please… h-help us…"she begged._

"_It is not my place to help you," I stated._

"_I-If not… both of us, th-then help G-Gackti."_

"_It is not my place," I repeated._

"_But… you are… you are one of us. Sko-Skonian."_

"_I may be Skonian, but I am not one of you."_

"_Please…" the girl pleaded before she lost consciousness._

"_Vayan, was there anything else you wanted of me?"_

Tears streamed down my face. "No, no, no," I moaned. "No… I'm so sorry Jasta. You and Gackti…" I turned off the water, wrapped up in a towel, and went to sit on the edge of the bed. I buried my face in my hands.

Grief, guilt, regret. All these emotions consumed my mind and heart. I heard the door slide open, then closed. I didn't look up. I heard the rustle of clothing. I kept my head hung low when warm hands took gentle hold of my hands and pulled them away from my face.

"You've been thinking," stated my husband.

"How do you know?" I whispered.

"You only come out of the shower wet when I'm in there with you, or if you're thinking. What's wrong? What happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"I understand. Would you like to forget about it for tonight?"

"I don't think I deserve that," I answered. I finally looked at Julian when he kneeled down, lifted my foot, and kissed the top of it.

Julian was on his knees, a towel wrapped around his waist. "You deserve to sleep through the night," he said before trailing kisses up my leg. The gentle kisses stopped when his lips reached the bottom of my towel, mid-way up my thigh. He settled himself between my knees and pulled my face down to his for a lingering kiss.

The kiss was slow and tender. During it, Julian rose to his feet and guided me down onto my back on the bed. He lay on top of me, supporting his bare torso. I was quickly entranced by his amorous touches and was soon asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I awakened the next morning as Julian came into the room. I was still only wearing the towel.

"Good morning," my husband greeted. "I suggest you get dressed. You and I are going for a morning walk."

I nodded and began getting dressed. Julian inquired, "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Yes," I answered. I teased, "You're getting too good at that, you know."

"I've had two years to learn how to manipulate you," Julian replied. "Maybe you'll manipulate me tonight."

I grinned at the thought and quickly finished dressing. "Did Garak come back last night?"

"About three hours after you fell asleep. He didn't tell us any details of course."

"Did you expect him too?"

"Of course not."

"And you won't try to pry into his relationship with Ayaka," I suggested.

"I won't," my husband agreed, linking his arm through mine and leading me through the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked as soon as we exited the hotel.

"We'll just wander around, and pick up some breakfast. Jasta gave us a card to use for money."

We walked in silence, hand-in-hand, until we reached an outdoor stand selling breakfast foods. We ordered three fresh fruited pastries, but didn't open the bag until we sat down on a bench near a field.

Julian swallowed the first bite of his pastry. "What happened last night?"

I ate half of my pastry before saying, "You are aware that I have been repressing memories of being Death's Shadow. The thing is, I'm not aware of which ones I repress. Julian, I have seen Jasta before now."

"While you were Death's Shadow?"

"Yes." I proceeded to describe what had happened and the memory Death's Shadow had pulled from the dark recesses of my mind. By the end, I was nearly in tears.

"Tengu," my husband addressed after a silent moment. "Are you sure that was a real memory? Maybe this darker side of you, Death's Shadow, was trying to trick you."

"I don't have dual personalities. If I did, you'd be the first to know. The memory was real. Julian, I left Jasta and Gackti there to suffer for twenty-nine more days."

"Even if you had the emotional capacity to feel repulsed by the experimentation, you wouldn't have done anything to help them. Because doing so would have resulted in your execution."

I let out a deep sigh. "You're right. But I still can't help but feel guilt. I wonder if she remembers when a fellow Skonian refused to help her…"

"She might have passed it off as a hallucination. She was in extreme pain and under sedation."

"Perhaps… thank you, Julian."

"You know it isn't a problem," he replied before kissing my forehead. "I love you. I'd journey across the universe for you."

"I hope it doesn't come to that, lest I never see you again," I responded with a half-smile.

Julian grinned and kissed me again.

The three days before the Federation cloaking device arrived seemed to pass by too quickly. I didn't see Jasta or Gackti during that time, which put me at ease. But, little did any of us know what fate would befall Jasta, Tholme, and me the day we received the cloaking device…

I waited in the military headquarters lobby as the Starfleet officer, Julian, and Commander Iko discussed the terms of taking the cloaking device. I overheard the conversation through the open door of a nearby office between two young officers.

"…there's nothing on the two missing Humans yet?" asked one officer.

"Nothing at all yet," answered the other.

"Did their friends tell us exactly how they arrived on this planet?"

"Nope. They still prefer to be mysterious. I'm surprised the Commander hasn't had them officially brought in."

"He's got the camp issue to solve first. This two mysterious people say that they arrived in-"

"You ready to go now?" Jasta asked, followed by Tholme with the cloaking device wrapped in his arms.

I listened to the two young officers, but was dismayed when they had started talking about a different topic. I stood and answered, "Let's go." Julian and Garak were decided to stay and help Iko with strategy.

On our way to Isaku's home, rain began to fall. Distant claps of thunder boomed. "It's about time for a storm," remarked Jasta. She parked the speeder and we hurried across the field into the dryness of Isaku's house.

"Here it is," I said, putting the cloaking device on the table.

Jasta asked, "What have you done so far?"

"I have put together the basic components. The rest will probably take me two weeks."

"You can't have it done any sooner?" inquired Jasta.

"You can't rush a scientist," was Isaku's answer. "If you will leave me to my work…" she prompted.

We bowed out and back into the growing storm. The wind was picking up and the rain was coming down harder and faster. We hurried to the parking area. Tholme and I halted at a disorienting feeling. We couldn't feel the Force, and had a bad feeling about what that meant.

"Jasta, stop!" I called.

Jasta stopped a few steps after and turned to us. "Do you enjoy standing in storms?"

"There's something wrong here," Tholme told her.

The lieutenant extended her claws and glanced around, wary of every shadow flicker. Tholme and I felt strangely helpless, cut of from our source of power.

There was no warning when the military speeder behind Jasta exploded. I was lifted from my feet and slammed into a building.

I was the first to my feet. Tholme and I helped Jasta up. She commented, "I'm glad you told me to stop," before we started running. Once she was coherent, she took out her communicator and contacted the military headquarters.

"Lieutenant Jasta to Commander Iko," she addressed once we stopped between two buildings to catch our breath.

"Iko here. What is it?"

"Someone rigged our speeder to explode. Its in pieces now. And we believe we are being pursued."

"The package?"

"Safely delivered."

"I'll send back-up. Keep the line open."

"Will do, sir."

The three of us shrank back further into the alley at the sound of warning phaser shots. Tholme and I were still powerless. Tholme unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and activated the green blade. I raised my hands and extended my claws, read for battle.

Jasta stared wide-eyed at my metal claws and asked, "Where and how did you get those?"

"Now is not the time," was my answer.

In a short moment, a group of Orions armed to the teeth rushed into the alleyway from both ends. Tholme, Jasta, and I engaged them head on.

Tholme and I were unnaturally clumsy without the Force to aid us. Some way through the fight, I head a voice from Jasta's communicator, "ETA: five minutes." Unfortunately, we didn't last that long.

Jasta went down first, dazed by a blow to her chin before being stunned into unconsciousness by a phaser shot. The last thing I saw as I felt a sudden pain in my back was an Orion about to strike Tholme with the butt of a phaser rifle.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I bolted upright into a sitting position. "Tholme? Jasta?" I called. I groggily looked around. I was on a cot in a small holding cell. A force-field locked me in. I came to the conclusion that the Human man Gackti had seen hadn't told the Orion to bring him supplies. He had wanted us. Did the Orions capture Isaku as well?

"To your feet," commanded an Orion man. With a sigh, I stood and went out the holding cell as the force-field was deactivated. Two Orions grabbed my arms and forced me to follow. I discovered the reason for my powerlessness. All three guards wore the same anti-Force device on their belts that those Jem'hadar who had attacked me on DS9.

They took me to an empty conference room and shoved me down into a chair. A short moment later, a quiet Tholme was seated two chairs from me. Jasta followed a couple of minutes later, seething when she was seated between us.

The lieutenant impatiently said, "Well, would someone please tell us where we are and why we are here?"

At that moment, a Human man strode in and lowered himself into the chair at the head of the table. I recognized him from visions of my husband's past.

"Sloan," I growled.

Sloan slightly bowed his head in response. "I've been longing to meet you, Dea- Tengu."

"The feeling is not mutual."

Jasta leaned over and asked in my ear, "Who is Sloan?"

I answered aloud, "Sloan is part of a secret organization called Section Thirty-One. It's purpose is to discover potential threats to Earth and Starfleet and get rid of them. Most of the time, they do so in unapproved and immoral ways."

"Starfleet's safety is my primary concern. Which is why I paid Urnon to capture you and Tholme. Starfleet doesn't realize how much of a danger you Jedi are to them."

The lead Orion, Urnon, yanked Jasta out of her chair and tightly held her against him. "May I keep this female? She is of no use to you. She would sell well-"

I shot up from my chair. I pushed Jasta out of Urnon's grasp and pressed my claws against his neck. "She stays with me," I hissed.

The Orion nervously glanced at Sloan, who said, "Urnon, is a potential pleasure slave worth your life?" Urnon shook his head. The Human warned, "Tengu, killing any of my employees would have dire consenquences."

I kept the stare into Urnon's eyes a bit longer, retracted my claws, and sat back down. "Slaon, working for the good of Starfleet to have Tholme and I caught is only an excuse. If you were really looking out for Starfleet, you wouldn't be helping the Dominion with this imprisonment camp. Is aiding the Dominion helping Starfleet?"

Slaon didn't answer.

"If not, you are a very different Sloan from the one Doctor Bashir knew," I stated.

"Times change, and so do people. You, Tengu, should know that better then anyone."

Enough with the pleasantries," Jasta interjected. "Where are we?"

"Twenty miles from the Dominion imprisonment camp in the Skora mountain range," Sloan obliged.

"I knew it," hissed Jasta. "How many prisoners are here?"

"When you're done counting, add three," goaded the Human.

"You can't do this!" the lieutenant shouted. "The military and Starfleet will be all over you."

"Jasta, they don't know he's involved," I reasoned. She took the cue and quieted down.

Sloan's parting words were, "If I don't see you again, it's been a pleasure to finally meet you in person." He ordered the Orions to take us to the camp.

The Orions cuffed out hands behind our backs and put us in the back of a supply transport. Tholme and I still were powerless, and I knew that wouldn't change at the camp.

Once we started moving, Jasta asked, "Tengu, what did Sloan start to call you? What did he mean when he said that you should know better than anyone that people change?"

"Jasta, now is not the time."

"In case you forgot, we have at least two weeks of time."

"Please, don't ask me anything right now."

"Why not? I know you've seen some of my past. The least you can do is tell me what happened to you."

"Jasta-"

"Don't you dare say this isn't the time. You come back after seventeen years, lie to me about your identity, and offer no personal explanations about yourself."

"Jasta, if Tholme and Julian hadn't asked me to come, I never would have."

"Why? Why would you never come back?"

I glanced at Tholme, the silent spectator, before answering, "I had no memories of Skonia, except the two weeks I spent with the Jedi."

"What do you mean you had no memories?"

"I had to forget things when I left. My parents, my home, and… you, Jasta."

"You… you f-forgot me? How? I never forgot you. I never stopped wondering what had happened to you."

I could say nothing but "I'm sorry." I closed my eyes and rested my head on my knees. I heard Tholme whisper to the lieutenant, "She'll tell you when she's ready." Jasta seemed accepting of that answer, for now.

The transport stopped a short moment later. The door opened and the Orions pulled us out. They shoved us into the hands of three waiting Jem'hadar. We allowed the soldiers to lead us through the maze of tunnels until we finally emerged into a small cavern filled with at least three hundred sleeping prisoners.

In the dim light, I saw a group of seven Cardassians and eight Romulans. Garak had been right about possible survivors from the destroyed Cardassian-Romulan fleet.

"Work begins tomorrow for you. Any attempts at resistance will be punished," warned one of the soldiers as he undid our handcuffs.

Tholme rubbed his wrists and led Jasta and me over to an empty spot on the dirt ground. "This is already looking better than fifteen years of solitary confinement with a dead leg and no powers," he commented.

"We still have no powers," I remarked.

"We will get out of here," Jasta assured. "No matter what."

Tholme and Jasta drifted to sleep quickly. I could not. The expression on Jasta's face when I told her that I had forgotten her shot pangs of agony into my heart. She had spent seventeen years worrying about me, and I had forgotten all about her. Jasta was right. I owed her an explanation. I would tell her everything after we got away from this imprisonment camp.

Jasta turned over in her slumber and rested her hand on my thigh. She muttered, "Go to sleep,Tengu. We're going to Otoni Lake tomorrow." She fell silent and I smiled at a long-passed memory.

"_Ah, here is my wayward daughter," greeted Rolayi as he lifted my four-year-old body into a hug. He thought of me as his second daughter. "I don't know why you don't just stay and live here," he joked._

_Jasta ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. "I hope you have something to get wet in packed in your bag."_

"_Why?" _

"_We're going to Otoni Lake tomorrow," my friend informed, bouncing on her toes. She took my hand and pulled me to her room. _

_Rolayi called, "Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes."_

_After a small dinner, and an hour of dancing, Jasta and I went to bed. As usual, I slept in my best friend's bed with her. We were sisters in every way except blood._

_Jasta had the gift of falling asleep quickly. Some nights, I couldn't sleep at all. Tonight was starting to be one of those._

_I finally sat up and rested my chin on my drawn-up knees two hours later. I felt Jasta sit up beside me and lay her head on my shoulder._

"_What's wrong?" she sleepily asked._

"_I think its going to be one of those nights," I replied._

_Jasta half-smiled. "You'll have to sleep tonight, or you'll be too tired for tomorrow," she reasoned._

"_I know," I sighed. "It's just all these strange feelings…"_

"_Well, tell your feelings to go to sleep too," was Jasta's advice before she laid back down on the pillow._

"I wish that I couldn't hurt you by telling you what happened to me," I muttered, stroking Jasta's shirt hair. "No matter how I word it, it's still going to hit you hard. But, I guess it must be done," I reasoned. The sleeping Jasta didn't reply. I sighed and finally gave into the dredges of sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Get up! Move it!" a Jem'hadar's shout commanded.

I shook Jasta and Tholme awake as the guard moved to awaken another group of prisoners.

We ate a tasteless sludge for breakfast. For a split-second, I thought I had seen someone familiar. I didn't realize I was staring at nothing until Jasta asked, "What's so interesting?"

"Sorry. I thought I saw someone, a friend of mine," was my answer.

Al of us prisoners were soon herded out into the aboveground digging and processing area. As we passed a Jem'hadar combat circle, we heard a voice cry, "Please, not again. He isn't strong enough. Leave him alone!"

We couldn't see what was happening, but the feminine voice sounded familiar to me. Tholme somehow shoved his way through the crowd of prisoners. I didn't know what transpired next as Jasta and I were swept along with the other prisoners.

The mining work was physically grueling and mind-numbing. The Jem'hadar didn't tell us exactly why we were mining. Jasta didn't press me for information about my life. She didn't press me for any kind of conversation, which made for an awkward silence and companionship. We didn't see Tholme until that night when everyone was herded into the sleeping cavern.

Three figures laboriously made their way over to us. Two of them supported the third between them. I sat up straight and placed my hands on my chest, where jacket lapels would be, once I saw the faces of the two Humans half-carrying Tholme over to us.

In my best mock-stern tone, I tutted, "Well, Chesterfield, you've managed to get yourself and Miss Wright into trouble yet again. My my, when will you learn?"

"Tengu?" the two Humans asked in disbelief, lowering Tholme to the ground.

"In the flesh, and mostly in the mind," I grinned.

"You're the two missing Humans," Jasta stated. "Your friends, Susan and her grandfather, reported you missing nearly a week ago."

"How did you end up here?" I inquired, gathering the near-unconscious Tholme into my lap.

"We landed on this planet six days ago. We had all gone out to explore the forest around the ship. Ian and I had fallen a bit behind the Doctor and Susan," Barbara started.

"The two of us were ambushed. The next thing we know, we're in a white circle surrounded by the Jem'hadar brutes," Ian continued.

"They wanted to fight Ian. They've been fighting, more like beating, him for the past six days. They let me stay for moral support. The savages wouldn't let him rest either. If he stayed down, unable to get up within a time limit, they'd pick him back up and keep going."

I nodded. "The Jem'hadar like to fight other species one-on-one to discover their weaknesses." I reached down to stroke Tholme's cheek.

The Jedi's eyes opened halfway and he stared up at me, a dazed expression on his bruising face. "T'ra?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Tengu."

Tholme blinked a few times. The Jem'hadar really had given him a rough time. "Daughter?"

"Yes. Tengu, your daughter."

Tholme smiled before he fell back into darkness.

"When he wakes, we'd like to thank him," said Barbara.

"Tholme and I are Jedi. Self-sacrifice is a trait," I replied. "Ian, the Jem'hadar would've kept fighting you until you became useless for any function. Since Tholme has now volunteered to take your place, they'll leave you alone."

"How much longer do you think I would've lasted?" Ian asked as Barbara tended to a long cut on his arm.

"They would've started getting rougher with you. So, a Human like yourself, probably four more days. Tholme can last at least two weeks."

"Isn't he Human?" inquired Barbara.

"Not quite. He'll make it through. He'll have to, since we're not getting out of here for two more weeks."

"What? Why?" the teachers asked in unison.

"That's when the military will be able to find us," Jasta explained. "The entire camp is hidden under a cloaking device."

I yawned and soon joined Tholme in blissful sleep.

I awakened the next morning to find Tholme still in my lap, Jasta's head on my leg and her arm around me, and Ian and Barbara in each other's arms near my foot. I saw the approaching Jem'hadar and shook my friends awake. The moment Tholme was coherent, the soldier lifted him to his feet and pulled him along. The rest of us followed the crowd of prisoners to work.

The next two weeks passed in the same fashion. The tension between Jasta and me lessened until we could work in a somewhat comfortable companionship.

As we prepared to sleep, Ian remarked, "Tomorrow we'll see if your genius scientist is as good as you say."

Jasta nodded. "I have complete faith in Isaku."

I kissed the top of Tholme's head. He was already slumbering.

"Do you think he's up for escape?" Barbara asked in concern.

"In addition to the bruises, he has four cracked ribs and a hairline-fractured forearm. He's had worse," I explained. "Besides some of his apparent weakness is an act."

"These two weeks haven't passed quickly enough," Jasta snorted. "I'm looking forward to getting out of here, and not just because of freedom." I caught the dark expectant glare she aimed at me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The five of us (the Jem'hadar had stopped fighting Tholme two days ago) spent most of the day glancing up at the sky, watching for rescue ships. When the sun began to set, it was Barbara who spotted them first.

"Here they come!" the history teacher shouted as she grabbed Ian's hand and pulled him behind a large boulder.

"Take cover!" Tholme, Jasta, and I yelled to the other prisoners.

They saw the incoming starfighters and rescue ships and scattered. Once the Skonian ships opened fire at the groups of Jem'hadar, the cluster of Romulans and Cardassians made their way over to us.

"What's going on?" asked one Cardassian.

I grinned. "The cavalry has finally arrived." Once the rescue ships touched down, I ordered all the prisoners to get aboard. The Jem'hadar were still in the process of figuring out wha was going on and how to fight back. But, the second the prisoners made a dash for the rescue ships, the soldiers decided on their next move.

I dodged and shoved a Skonian man away as a phaser shot went by. I witnessed a Skonian soldier shot down as he herded the prisoners into the ships.

"Tengu! Tholme!" I heard welcome voice call.

I glanced around and spotted Julian waving from the open ramp of a rescue ship. I nodded to him in acknowledgement and called back, "Once all the prisoners are aboard, take off."

"What about you?"

"We're going to hold off the Jem'hadar." I didn't wait to hear his response before launching myself at a soldier about to shoot Jasta. I joined the lieutenant and Tholme in battle against the oncoming Jem'hadar.

After ducking and impaling a Jem'hadar through the chest with her claws, Jasta asked me, "Is life with you always this exciting?"

"You could say that," I replied, blocking a blow from a soldier and stabbing him.

Tholme had picked up a slender steel pole and was efficiently using it as a staff. Only a couple of Jem'hadar had made it past the three of us and were being dealt with by the Skonian soldiers.

I didn't see the grenade fly over my head and was sent to the muddy ground from the resulting small explosion.

"Tengu!" Julian shouted.

"Doctor Bashir, take off!" Jasta commanded.

"I can't leave you!"

I shoved Jasta behind a mining machine before another grenade detonated. "Julian, you have a ob to do. Now go!"

My husband took my words to heart. I didn't hear what he said next over the sound of the ship's engine. The ramp closed, and we heard the ships lift off from the ground.

A Human male voice cried out in pain some distance away. "Don't tell me that was Ian," Jasta said, dodging a phaser shot. "I thought he and Barbara had made it to a ship."

"So did I," I responded, leaping to the top of a mining vehicle.

A seemingly long distance away, a Jem'hadar had Ian on the ground. The soldier straddled Ian's chest to keep him down as he rained fist after fist on the Human's head. Barbara elbowed the soldier restraining her in the temple and grabbed his war dagger. With no hesitation, she ran forward and plunged it into the back of the Jem'hadar on Ian.

I sprinted to save them, slashing at any Jem'hadar who got in my way. Barbara had helped Ian halfway up before they attracted more attention.

A soldier ran at them, dagger raised. Ian cried a warning. Barbara turned and raise her arm to protect her face. The blade sliced into her flesh. Barbara didn't even have a chance to cry out before the soldier seized her by the neck and threw her over his shouler. She landed hard on her back, the back of her head catching on a large stone.

With Barbara out of the way, the Jem'hadar turned his focus back to Ian. A backhand and punch to the stomach drove the man back to the rocky ground. Another soldier rushed to help.

I saw the flash of a dagger before I launched myself into a flying tackle from the top of a mining machine, claws extended in front of me. One set of claws caught a Jem'hadar through the side of his neck. The other set of claws impaled the other soldier through his chest.

I wasted no time in getting to my feet, grabbing a dagger from the ground, and throwing it. Barbara was too disoriented from her fall to be shocked as the blade settled itself in the throat of the Jem'hadar holding her up, only a millimeter from her ear. The soldier dropped. The woman swayed on her feet before Ian caught her.

"Get her back into focus," I told Ian, slashing open another soldier's neck. Jasta and Tholme followed my path and joined us.

Ian had brought Barbara around and both were armed with war daggers. Another wave of Jem'hadar charged towards us. No words were spoken during this fight. The five of us fought in tandem. I had been worried about Barbara. She wasn't the fighting type of person at all. But, the Human instinct to survive awakened a frenzy in her and Ian. Still, I couldn't help but wish they had gotten to a rescue ship. And where the hell was that anti-Force generator that prevented Tholme and me from using our powers?

Tholme gestured to two small devices attached to a nearby mining vehicle. "Get down!" I shouted, diving for the ground. I had barely hit the rocky ground when the devices exploded.

In the same instant, I felt the scalding wind and fire over my back, and heard a piercing scream. Once everything was silent, I lifted my head and glanced around. Tholme, Barbara, and Ian were recovering beside me. The Jem'hadar fighting us were dead. Where was Jasta? Had she screamed? The four of us got to our feet and looked around. "Jasta?" I called.

A sudden cry of pain turned to loud whimpering moans. We rushed to the sound and found a pile of rubble. We frantically cleared away the rocks and twisted metal.

"Jasta!" I gasped, dropping to her side. A bloody hole about the size of my fist went through her shoulder. A purple-tainted short pole that size lay a couple feet behind her. Violet blood poured out from the wound. Jasta's foot had been twisted to an awkward angle. Her face was a shade of ghostly white.

Ian took off his tattered jacket and pressed it against the gory wound in Jasta's shoulder. The lieutenant's breathing turned erratic and ragged, then she was suddenly silent and her head lolled to the side.

"Is she…?" Barbara began.

"No, not yet," I answered, checking Jasta's pulse. We glanced up at loud shouts. "Damn you, bastards!" I cursed at the oncoming soldiers. "We're going to run for it."

Tholme picked up the unconscious Jasta. Ian asked, "Where to?"

I started running to the force-field gate that had kept us prisoner. My friends followed without question.

We dodged grenades and small explosives in our race to freedom. The last thing I remembered was the ground swallowing me.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Tengu," I heard a familiar voice say. "Tengu!"

"I'm up, I'm up," I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes. "What time is it?"

"Later than it was when we fell in here," Tholme replied.

"That's not much help," I muttered. I shook my head to get rid of any last webs of darkness. I gazed up and was surprised to see lights inset in the dirt ceiling. "Where are we?"

"The tunnels."

"Ah, that explains the lights." I looked around me and cried, "Tholme, are you alright?"

The cave-in caused by the explosives had Tholme's leg trapped under the tons of rock and dirt. He said, "It is a bit painful, yes. But it's my prosthetic leg underneath all this rock. Check on Jasta. I shoved her clear."

I nodded and crawled over the unconscious forms of Ian and Barbara to Jasta. "She's alive," I said. "But, I don't think she'll be joining us anytime soon," I sighed.

Barbara awakened and gently shook Ian. The first thing the two of them saw was Tholme. They crouched by his side in obvious concern and worry. "I'm surprised you're not crying in pain right now," Ian commented.

"This is a prosthetic leg. The skin on it isn't real, although there are some synthetic nerves in it," Tholme explained. "I think it's damaged beyond function."

"Jasta's ankle is broken," I reported, checking the lieutenant over. "And there's this nasty shoulder injury."

"Anything else?" asked Tholme.

I shook my head. Barbara came over to check on Jasta and laid a hand on her forehead.

"She's so cold," Barbara said, drawing her hand back from the icy temperature of Jasta's skin. "But it's stifling down here."

"That's what happens to a Skonian in shock," I replied.

"What about Tholme?" asked Ian. "We can't leave him here."

"I know that."

"Can't you use your Jedi powers?"

Tholme shook his head. "The thing that was blocking us before is still active."

"Are you sure we can even lift any of those rocks?" Barbara asked. "It looks like a pretty solid cave-in to me."

"We can. The question is finding the right one to lift," Tholme answered.

Ian went to his knees and studied the interlocked rocks around Tholme's leg. After a moment, he picked one to start with.

"Not that one," I warned, going over to help him. I pointed out a larger one. "This one is most of what's on his leg." Ian and I braced ourselves to lift the large flat stone. Barbara got behind Tholme and grabbed him under the arms, ready to pull him out. I nodded and lifted my side of the stone. Ian quickly did the same. "Now," I told Barbara.

With a tug, Barbara dragged Tholme clear from the now-unsettled rock wall. Ian and I let go and dropped to the ground as the rocks resettled themselves. The second all was quiet, I joined Tholme and Barbara.

"Looks bad," I remarked to the Jedi master. Some of the sharper rocks had cut through the synthetic skin on his prosthetic leg and parts of the metal underneath had been crushed and severely dented. Ian had to look away for a moment and remember that it wasn't Tholme's real leg.

I helped Tholme up to test if the leg still worked. He took a step, and his mechanical leg gave out. He said, "Looks like I'm not going anywhere without help."

I said to the two Humans, "You know, I'm glad now that you two didn't get on a ship."

"It wasn't through lack of trying," Ian responded.

I sat down to think. I played with the bone pendant around my neck that Julian had given to me as a gift a few months ago. I half-smiled when a vision of the present played in my mind.

_Julian Bashir, tired from the hours spent helping to treat the three hundred freed prisoners of war, leaned back against a counter with medical supplies on it in the main ward of the medical center. Garak soon joined him._

"_You did the right thing," the Cardassian said._

"_Yes, because leaving my wife and Tholme behind in the middle of a battlefield is the right thing to do," Julian snorted. _

"_You had a job to do. If you hadn't-"_

"_Garak, will you please not talk right now? I spoke with Gackti earlier, and he wasn't too happy with Jasta being left behind either."_

"_Commander Iko is going to send a search party back there soon. He-"_

_The young red-black haired officer hurried into the room. "Doctor Bashir, I tried to make them leave, but they insisted on seeing the person in charge."_

"_Nivu, what are you talking about? Who-" started Julian._

"_Julian!" shrieked a girl in delight as she rushed into his arms._

"_Susan?" Julian asked in disbelief. He looked to the doorway and saw the white-haired Doctor, entering in a more dignified manner._

"_Thought you could lose us with your speed, young man?" the Doctor said to Nivu. _

"_N-no sir, not at all," the officer answered, intimidated by the Time Lord's presence._

"_Good, then go fetch some tea."_

"_Sir?"_

"_Better do as he says, Nivu," Julian suggested. With a nod, Nivu hurried away._

"_Julian, I'm so glad to see you," Susan said with a smile._

"_Doctor Bashir, I don't believe you've introduced me to your friends," Garak remarked._

_Julian sighed. "Garak, this is Susan and the Doctor. Before you ask, no, he never gives a name, and he's a doctor of many things. "_

_The Doctor nodded to the Cardassian before turning back to Julian. "You seem surprised to see us, my boy."_

"_I am."_

"_Then, I know you haven't seen the people we're looking for."_

"_Ian and Barbara? Why did you come here to look for them?"_

_Susan answered, "They went missing three weeks ago. We asked the military to help us find them, but they couldn't. When we heard about this imprisonment camp rescue, we thought…"_

"_You thought they would be here," Julian finished._

"_Quite so. But, if you had seen them, you would have been expecting us," replied the Doctor. "Maybe if we could meet Tengu, she could tell us."_

_Garak cleared his throat. "Tengu is missing as well. She and two of our friends were captured and put in that imprisonment camp two weeks ago. The military went to rescue the prisoners, and the three of them held off the Jem'hadar to allow the ships to take off. Honestly, I don't know how Doctor Ba-"_

"_Thank you, Garak," interrupted Julian before he stormed out the room in frustration. Once alone in the hallway, he leaned against the wall and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. The Doctor came and stood nearby after a moment._

_Julian admitted, "Garak's right. I don't even know how I've held it together this long."_

"_You had a job to do, and it kept your mind occupied with treating your patients."_

_Julian looked up at the Doctor's face. "You don't understand. We left Tengu, Tholme, and Jasta in the middle of a battlefield. There were at least forty Jem'hadar against them. Who knows how many more there were after we left."_

_The Doctor nodded. "Your Tengu is a survivor. If anyone can get herself and her two companions out of a situation like that, it's her. She managed to get us all out of the Death Zone intact."_

"_I suppose so."_

"_Have faith, young man. You'll find her."_

_Julian nodded. "What about Ian and Barbara? Was this the only lead you had on finding them?"_

"_Yes, but I have a feeling that these Jem'hadar you spoke of captured them as well. As curious as Chesterton and Barbara are, they would have let me know if they wanted to explore on their own."_

"_I didn't see them at the camp. But everything was chaotic. Explosions, phaser fire…"_

"_Our friends aren't lost until we find proof, don't you agree?"_

_A half-smile formed on Julian's face. "I agree."_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Julian, the Doctor, and Susan have met up. And Commander Iko hasn't given up on us yet," I stated.

"Do we wait here for them to find us?" inquired Barbara.

I shook my head. "It's too hot down here for their thermal sensors to pick up our body heat. So, we need to find a way out of here. I think Ian and I should scout it out. Barbara, Tholme, keep Jasta as warm as you possibly can. Count on seeing us again in… an hour."

Tholme nodded from his position on the ground. Barbara gave her companion a quick hug before turning her focus to Jasta.

As soon as we turned the next corner, Ian asked, "Are there any Jem'hadar in these tunnels?"

"There shouldn't be. They all would've gone above to stop the rescue ships."

"Are the Jem'hadar fond of booby traps?"

"Not at all. They love the thrill of direct battle. Don't worry, Ian. The only thing to be afraid of down here is getting lost. Not that we will, of course."

"Of course."

Nearly thirty minutes later, we stopped in a tunnel. "This is it," I said. "This one leads to Sloan's headquarters."

"How do you know? This looks exactly like all the others."

I crouched down. "Look closer. This dirt is slightly darker."

"I'll take your word for it," Ian responded. "If you're certain, then we'll go back, get the others, and go to…"

"Sloan's HQ."

"And send a signal of some kind to the military."

"Exactly."

"Tengu, you do know the way back?"

I grinned. "Of course I know the way."

We ran back to the other part of our group. Tholme was leaning over Jasta, one hand placed gently on her abdomen. The Jedi said, "Tengu, come here."

"What's going on?" Ian asked Barbara.

"I don't know. He won't tell me," Barbara replied.

I kneeled next to Tholme. "What's wrong? She's not internally bleeding, is she?"

Tholme slowly shook his head and put the palm of my hand where his had been. He wanted me to sense something. Even though the Force was cut off from us, we still had a little of the telepathic ability.

It took a moment. In addition to Jasta's weak life presence, there was another, barely-sentient, presence. It was too developed to be parasitic, which could only mean…

"Damn it," I said, withdrawing my hand and running it through my hair.

"What's wrong?" the two Humans inquired.

"Jasta is carrying a child," Tholme answered.

"Her body isn't in the condition to support both of them for long," I stated. "Right, let's go."

Ian carried Jasta in his arms. Barbara and I supported Tholme on both sides to help him walk. We didn't take any wrong turns on the way to the right tunnel. We had only been going down it for ten minutes when it ended in an upward slope to the surface above. I knew someone had done this on purpose, and I didn't need to guess who.

"Sloan wants us to get there through the forest," I said. "He isn't making this easy for us."

"What's so difficult about the forest?" inquired a heavily-breathing Barbara.

I didn't answer and kept going on. We hurried as fast as we could through the never-ending forest.

A few hours passed before Ian said, "Please… we need to rest…"

I nodded and helped set Tholme down on a tree stump. Ian handed Jasta to him and joined Barbara on the ground. I climbed up onto a tree branch and kept my mind, ears, and eyes open for any signs of trouble. Why could I still not feel the Force?

Ian put his arm around Barbara. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Same as you. There must be something wrong in this forest."

"Why do you say that?"

"Tengu has been completely on edge, like she's afraid of something."

"I am," I announced. "I'm afraid for Jasta. I'm afraid for her child. I'm afraid for us."

"You seemed very reluctant to get to Sloan's place through this forest. But nothing has attacked us," said Ian.

"I remember Rolayi telling me ghost stories and myths about the forests of Skora."

"Ghost stories and myths? Surely you don't believe them," Barbara replied.

"Ghost stories and myths usually have basis in-" A sharp unexpected pain blossomed in my head. I grasped at my hair and cried out in agony. My balance slipped and I crashed down to the ground from the tree branch, landing hard on my shoulder.

"What the hell was that?" asked Ian, helping me to my feet.

"You felt it too?" I inquired.

"All of us did, except Jasta," answered Tholme.

"What was it?" Barbara asked.

I rubbed my shoulder. "Don't know… Do you hear that?"

All around us, unintelligible whispers drifted through the trees. Barbara, Ian, and I backed into a circle around the injured Tholme and Jasta. "Whoever you are, stop this game," I challenged. "Show yourself."

The whispers gradually ceased and became absolute silence. Barbara commented in a barely-audible voice, "This is worse than the noises."

We turned our heads to the sudden rustle of leaves. "Ian? Barbara?" called two unexpected voices from the forest.

"Doctor? Susan? Over here!" Ian called back in excitement.

"Tengu?" called the voice of my husband.

"I'm here, Julian," I replied in disbelief. How had they found us so quickly?

Barely a minute later, Susan burst into view and into Barbara's arms. "We thought we'd never find you," the girl cried. The Doctor strode to Ian and shook his hand, a smile on his face. "You can't keep yourself out of trouble, can you, Chatterton?" he mock-chided.

I didn't hear what else was said, because the first thing my husband did when he saw me was hold me tightly and kiss me until I was left breathless. When we separated, I said, "Julian, as happy as I am to see you, you've got two patients over there."

With a smile, Julian nodded and went to check over Tholme and Jasta with his tricorder. I felt my lips as soon as he turned away. Something about him wasn't right. His kiss felt wrong, and he didn't smell right. I hadn't felt anything from him. Powerless though I was, Julian and I still had a spiritual bond. Was there a way that it could've been broken?

Tholme caught my eye and tilted his head to Julian, who had kneeled down to check Jasta. I raised my eyebrows in reply, conveying my confusion.

"Come along, we'll get you all back to the rescue ship," the Time Lord said.

"Where is the ship?" Barbara asked.

"In a clearing about two kilometers away," answered Susan, bouncing on her toes.

Tholme watched Julian as he made sense of the readings on the tricorder. He caught my attention and shook his head, confirming his suspicion.

"Ian, Barbara, get away from them," I said.

"Why? They've found us," responded Barbara.

I grabbed them by their wrists and pulled them to me.

"What's the matter, my dear Tengu?" inquired the Doctor.

I stared at the two Gallifreyans. "You're not the Doctor. You're not Susan." I turned to glare at Julian. "And you are not my husband."


End file.
